Here's to the journey

One year ago, almost to the day, I began a new professional journey when I decided to leave my position of CEO at Opus One Winery to work with Bill Harlan and his family.?After painstaking review and intense soul searching, I knew then what I was looking for, and that finally I had to leave my Opus One family to find it.?I wanted to discover again the thrill and challenges of creating something new.

Bill Harlan and I spoke about many things, and we focused on working together on one particular new project, which was, and which remains, confidential.?To begin with, however, I would help manage the Meadowood Estate property.?Bill’s vision and intensity are compelling, to say the least.

Three weeks after my first day at work the fires came and destroyed two thirds of the Meadowood property, and much else… the plans and the work that Bill and I had discussed were irrevocably altered.

In the aftermath of the fires, we all joined hands and buckled down to the task of recovery.?As the entire valley was reeling from the devastation, we focused on debris removal and clean up.?One third of the property, including the pools, fitness center, spa and 36 lodges, had not been damaged by the fires.?By Spring of 2021 the Meadowood Club was reopened to eager and appreciative members.?And, in August of this year, the southern portion of the hotel property, with its 36 rooms, was reopened to enthusiastic guests.??The longer work of rebuilding the rest of the Meadowood property is well underway.?Like the Phoenix, Meadowood Estate will rise from the ashes better than before and will be poised to be the heart and soul of Napa Valley wine and hospitality culture for decades to come.

And, as Meadowood Estate will continue its journey, I too have realized that I must continue on my own journey.?

There is no reason that I should have spent my entire professional life working with wine.?Nothing in my childhood or family background would have foretold my enduring connection to winemaking.?I was introduced to the world of wine at the age of 18 in Nuits St Georges, France.?I have ever since been involved with the world of wine, and most often, with France.

I resigned my position as Managing Director of Meadowood Estates because I know that I have to return to my roots.?I want to return to my beginnings and find again the joy and passion of wine and winemaking that I knew in my youth.?I want to find again that spark of creativity and inspiration.

The trials and tribulations of these past years of fires and pandemic have focused my sense of values.?Time is truly precious, and we have only one time through in this life.?We are responsible for our actions, and me must work to protect the world for future generations.?Whether we like it or not, we are indisputably all in this together.?Our greatest blessings are our families and friends and the time we have together.?Wine can help us to learn to have the essential virtues of patience, balance and respect.

I am headed out on a personal journey, a trek through France, to help me find my way.?I’ll be blogging and story telling along the way.?One thing I love most about wine is the story telling and the sharing of stories with family, friends and folks who you don’t even know.?Wine brings people together, grounds us and connects us to our common roots.

With my sincere appreciation to the Harlan family and all the folks with whom I have worked for the past year, here’s to the journey!?I hope our paths will cross again soon.